Chapter 143
Chapter 143
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: Joint Attack #3
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The story coming from Elga's mouth made my drowsily drooping eyes snap wide open.
"What did you just say?"
"What about?"
In response to my question, Elga innocently shot one right back at me.
"What did I say?"
"Didn't you just say something about helping me out?"
If my ears weren't deceiving me, Elga had definitely brought up helping me with Mirna—in that exact nuance.
I'd never even dreamed of hearing something like that from her, so it caught me completely off guard.
Any trace of sleepiness vanished.
"Is that for real?"
"Why? Aren't things already going well with Mirna? I don't know how well, but you probably don't need my help."
"Well, yeah..."
It'd be pretty pathetic to boldly declare to Elga that I was going to build a harem, only to admit the progress had stalled.
It felt like my masculine pride was crumbling a bit.
She must think I'm such a joke.
But if I swallowed my pride, I might get some help from her. I didn't know what kind, but wouldn't it be better than racking my brain alone?
So there I was, my throat full of a sob story on the verge of spilling out.
Something like, "Actually, I haven't gotten any closer physically with Lady Mirna since that day."
Elga yawned with a big "Haaam" and said,
"You'll figure it out just fine on your own. Pretend I didn't hear anything."
Was it because I hesitated too long?
My stomach was sinking.
Suddenly, a barrage of worries flashed through my mind.
If I let pride get the better of me and brushed off Elga's helping hand...
It was certain that conquering Mirna would take even longer, and the fallout from that delay could snowball and crush me.
In this situation where my hair was gradually turning redder by the minute, and with all the variables from hiding my identity, Ars Nova, the protagonist's party, and other external factors—
The thought of things blowing up in my face from playing it cocky made me squeeze my eyes shut.
Calmly thinking it over, grabbing Elga's hand here seemed like the right move.
「Calm situational judgment!
You gain experience from the talent 《Composed Thinking》.
All job experience +5」
Alright. Decision made.
"Hup."
I took a few deep breaths, then slowly parted my lips toward Elga.
"Um, Elga."
"What."
Elga was stroking my stomach with her palm like she had no idea what was up. With a whatever-goes attitude toward her, I blurted it out.
"Actually, just as you said, there are parts where things aren't going well with Lady Mirna."
"What? See, I was right. You wanna die, punk? Hey! Why'd you lie?!"
Pinch.
Elga pinched my belly fat. It hurt like a lobster had clamped down hard, and I ended up tearing up a little.
"Hiek...! That hurts...!"
But even as I screamed and pounded the bed, Elga didn't let go of the hand pinching my stomach.
Only when the pain felt like it might actually tear off a chunk of flesh did she finally release it with a slide.
"You really wanna die? Why lie?"
"That's... Sorry..."
Elga seemed seriously pissed, so I apologized. Since things had come to this, swallowing my pride and going full low-posture seemed like the smart play.
Sure enough, Elga—who'd been huffing and puffing—seemed to cool off a bit at my one-sided deference.
Her hedgehog-spiky anger softened just a tad.
"So, what? What happened with that Mirna girl?"
"I don't even know how to explain it."
"Spit it out quick."
Was she getting interested in my relationship with Mirna?
Not like she was enjoying it or anything—just the vibe of not wanting to hear it but feeling obligated to know.
Kinda like when my first girlfriend, Dahye, talked about her exes.
Not something you wanna hear or know, but it nags at you enough that ignoring it leaves this itchy, lingering awkwardness.
For Elga, me and Mirna were probably exactly that: something she didn't care to know but couldn't quite ignore.
She didn't want to show it, though.
"What happened between you two? Hurry up and tell me."
Urged by Elga, I had no choice but to spill.
"Nothing happened."
"Gonna lie again? 'Nothing happened' my ass."
Elga didn't like my explanation. But my "Nothing happened" was the perfect summary of the current situation.
"Really, absolutely nothing happened."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"That's the problem—nothing happened. Nothing at all between Lady Mirna and me."
"......"
Elga furrowed her brow like she couldn't comprehend. Then she slowly sat up and started grabbing her clothes.
"Fine. If you're just gonna keep lying, I'm out."
She thought I was lying and got sulky. Watching her throw on a tank top, training pants, panties, and dolphin shorts haphazardly, I hurriedly added,
"No, really, nothing happened. Nothing's gone down between us. Even when it's just the two of us. That's what I mean."
Only then did Elga finally get it.
"So you're saying things aren't working out between you two?"
"You could put it that way."
"Pfft."
"...Elga?"
"Puhaha—!"
Elga burst out laughing out of nowhere. She'd been scowling like she was furious, but now she was cracking up like she'd lost it, leaving me stunned.
"Puhahaha, pfhhaha, hahaha—!"
She shook all over like a punctured event doll from laughing so hard. If I left her be, she'd probably laugh all day, so I asked, "What's so funny?"
Wiping tears from her eyes after a long bout, she mocked me.
"Serves you right, you idiot. Talking all big about your harem and shit, but you can't even seal the deal with one Mirna girl and you're whining...!"
"......"
Facts hurt.
Her usual exaggerated lies—like Theo Gospel being the queen's concubine with eight arms—did zero damage.
But mockery built on cold, hard facts stabbed like arrows into my chest, making my vision blur.
This wasn't the time for pride, though.
"Elga, didn't you say earlier you'd help? Could you maybe help me develop my relationship with Lady Mirna a bit?"
"You believed that bullshit? Why the hell would I wanna see you and that Mirna bitch getting cozy?"
No way.
Elga had lied to me.
The realization made the floor drop out from under me, my vision spinning like I was falling endlessly. But I couldn't just take this lying down.
"Well, if you want to solidify your position as my first wife, it'd be smart to rack up some favors with me now."
"What the—?"
"Think about becoming the matriarch of the harem. As the top-ranked first wife, you'd lord over Miss Mirna, the second one in."
"Hmm..."
Elga seemed lost in thought at my words. My trainer instincts kicked in. Time to push harder!
"It's not every day you get a chance to put a Draco family lady—who've feuded with your Lioness family for centuries—under you. It could even go down in the history books."
"True. Yeah, that checks out."
Angmar law allowed up to four official spouses for anyone with the ability.
And those four often had their own hierarchy. In the famously polygamous Angmar family, the king's mother usually managed the wives.
Meaning the harem's top dog was the empress dowager.
Me...
I have no mother.
So no one to manage my future harem. Naturally, one of my four wives would claim that top manager spot.
"A harem's inevitable anyway. Just a matter of sooner or later. So how about getting ahead by earning my debt now and aiming for the top spot among my wives?"
Elga's Lioness family was just as infamous for harems as Angmar. Lioness men were prolific studs who took multiple wives.
Ruling the harsh western Borja lands, they bolstered alliances and bloodlines through marriages to revive the house.
The name Lioness originally honored the lion king's many wives. Elga, raised in such a family, would get my point.
A royal harem was a battlefield for women, and wielding power there shone glory on her house.
"Elga?"
"......"
Seeing her deep in thought, I decided to give her a moment.
* * *
Elga had a ton of relatives—uncles, aunts, cousins galore.
As a kid, during family festivals in the great western city of Borja, there were so many unknown cousins swarming that she had to wear a name tag on her chest.
—I'm the third son of the 23rd Lioness house head's collateral line.
—I'm the second of the 15th house head. I'm your elder.
Ranking was a nightmare. The result of Lioness folks taking tons of wives and popping out kids generation after generation.
Of course, Elga—the sole daughter of current head Reinhardt—was princess treatment everywhere, no complaints.
She was even called the Princess of Borja.
Watching the cousin swarm, she'd wondered why men wanted so many wives.
Later she learned it was political, for marriage alliances.
In that sense, Elga saw leaders like monarchs taking multiple wives for calculated reasons as a given.
She'd grown up around all those relatives.
But this half-fairy's harem felt off.
When half-fairy Theo Gospel said he wanted multiple wives, Elga scoffed inwardly. Yeah, good luck with that.
Even if he did, she was confident she'd hold the firmest spot as the Lioness sole daughter.
Wives' power ranking mattered, after all.
Lioness wives fought tooth and nail to make their kids house head. Her father Reinhardt and his half-brothers had spilled plenty of blood over succession.
Rumor was Reinhardt took just one wife, tired of the sibling strife.
But Theo Gospel's harem was weird.
What man in the world would marry a Lioness lady and still eye a Draco girl?
Insane.
Hearing that, Elga nearly fainted, her vision spinning. It was pure madness.
Yet this half-fairy was dead set.
Like he had no choice.
At the same time, it piqued her curiosity.
How far could this guy go, snagging wives from massive houses he couldn't possibly handle?
After an eternity of deliberation, Elga finally spoke.
"You. I wasn't gonna ask, but now I have to. What the hell are you scheming?"